Hello All,
I originaily said to myself that I was not going to post anything about last Sundays "drama" at the DC because I did not want to stir up trouble. But after reading about the Watchtowers' less than charitable attitude toward their NYC neighbors I had a change of heart.
I sat there that morning with my wife and relatives, my eyes heavy from lack of sleep, children on either side of me already in dream land. The drama was an old favorite; Moses and Korah. Drama actors dressed in 3,500 year old styled garb with fake beards shook their fist in the air to show emotion while jumping and stomping to convey the depth of their message.
After a lot of hooting and hollering we got to the crowd pleasing part; Jehovahs' wrath on the rebellious Korah and his companions.
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, (figuratively), and a ring of screams are heard as the rebels begin to fall to their deaths, (figuratively).
But that's not the best part! The next thing that happens should sicken me but I guess I'm just used to it. As a great chorus of cheers goes up from the audience at the flailing limbs and desparate screams of the actors, the last of the rebels, Korah, is balancing at the imaginary precipice on one leg, flailing his arms in large circles but, inevitably, as he falls to his death a GREAT CHEER goes up from the audience and quite a bit of LAUGHTER also. All of this happening while the flashes of camera bulbs dot the auditorium in a sparkling pattern. What a FINE lesson for the children, huh?
I just sat there with a blank look on my face. What could I say? Many of those people there, who call themselves Christians, were HAPPY at the notion of people loosing their lives!
Now I realize this was conducted as a theactrical performance along the lines of a good guy bad guy movie. You know, make the bad guy sooo bad that when he "kicks the bucket" you cheer. But the real difference here is that this performance was done in God's name. This was done to teach the people a lesson from God.
What was the REAL lesson here? You folks can fill in the blank. The lesson was CONTROL through FEAR. This was NOT a lesson from God, but from plain old men!
Watchtower, do you understand what you taught that day? Do you realize the "message from God" you gave was NOT what Jesus, whom you profess to serve, wanted people to hear? Are your conscienceses so seared you can no longer tell the difference between right and wrong?
I mean, honestly, would Jesus approve of hateing your enemy, of being glad over his distruction? Would he?
43“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’£ and hate your enemy. 44But I say, love your enemies!£ Pray for those who persecute you! 45In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. 46If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47If you are kind only to your friends, £ how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5: 43-48 NLT
Remember, the crowds were cheering and laughing out loud when the drama actors were falling to their deaths! How cruel and unloving you are making your flocks to be! Are there any among you, Watchtower, that can see the error of this type of teaching?
Could you honestly stand before Jesus Christ, whom you, Watchtower, profess to serve, and justify the gleeful satisfaction I saw on the faces of JW's at that convention? Could you?
If God and Jesus warned people NOT to be happy at the destruction of their enemies, where is the SCRIPTUAL justification for disobeying them? Where is it?
17Do not rejoice when your enemies fall into trouble. Don’t be happy when they stumble. 18For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them.
Proverbs 24: 17,18 NLT
You think the greater good is to scare people into obeying you rather than teaching people to obey Jesus, whom you profess to serve.
Only you, Watchtower, can answer these questions and only you, Watchtower, can stop disobeying God and Jesus and do what the Bible says.
CornerStone
